Visiting Ganton Golf Club is surely one of golf’s great pilgrimages. Before you even get to the golf course there is the opportunity to visit the City of York; arguably England’s most beautiful and charming City! Then the drive from York towards Scarborough lends credence to the locals claim that you are in the heart of ‘God’s own country’.
Shortly before Scarborough you take a left turning, and a long straight lane, framed by white posts, takes you to the Ganton Clubhouse, but not before it has teased you with glimpses of the stunningly prepared links. I say links, because this is as true an ‘inland links’ as can be described by that term, but which many a club likes to adopt,…often curiously. But in the case of Ganton, the land did once sit alongside the sea and is entirely built on sand, so has always played like a links; that experience is going to become even more apparent moving forward.
Ganton Golf Club
Ganton, Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England, YO12 4PA
1 Course / 18 Holes
The exciting news from Ganton is that they have started the process of returning the course to its historic best, and engaged Martin Ebert, the preferred R&A course architect, to do the work. Ebert was responsible for completely renovating the three nines at Princes to stunning effect, and has worked on numerous Open Championship venues with universal approval.
For the last three years Ganton has been following a program to reinstate sand areas around the course and strip out gorse – opening views and providing a real links challenge. The 18th was the first area, extending the existing ‘pandy’ (sand waste area), across the width of the hole and laying a sleeper pathway from tee to fairway. Sleeper pathway’s just look fantastic on a sandy area! The par 5 9th now has vast areas of sand waste areas running down the left side of the hole and heavy grass is currently being stripped away from tee to fairway to create another spectacular carry.
The existing sandy nature of the ground undoubtedly ensures the sand waste areas lend an even more natural feel to the golf course, and is truly spectacular.
The refreshment of the course has gained great praise from those who have visited the club over the last two years. Ganton hosted the R&A Boys and Girls Championships in 2023, and have since attracted a great increase in overseas golfing traffic, especially from the USA.
First time visitors will just love the wood panelling in the Clubhouse, and images of the 8th Ryder Cup in 1949. The Club has a proud history and a course that is retaining its position as one of the finest in the British Isles.
